Osmani International Airport

Osmani Airport (Bengali: ওসমানী আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর, Osmānī antorjatik bimanbondor) (IATA: ZYL, ICAO: VGSY) in Sylhet, Bangladesh, is the third largest airport in Bangladesh after Dhaka and Chittagong. The airport is operated by the Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) and is served by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national airline, which at one point earned most of its revenue from this airport.[3] Private airlines Novoair and US-Bangla Airlines operate domestic flights to Dhaka. The majority of passengers using this airport are expatriate Bangladeshis and their descendants living in the United Kingdom, who are originally from the Sylhet Division of Bangladesh.

Osmani Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorCivil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh
ServesSylhet, Bangladesh
Elevation AMSL50 ft / 15 m
Coordinates24°57′48″N 91°52′01″E
Map
ZYL
Location of airport in Bangladesh
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
11/29 9,646 2,940 Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (January 2018 – January 2019)
Passengers5,33,204
Source:[1] Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh[2]

History
Apron view
Interior view

Osmani International Airport was built during British rule of the Indian Subcontinent, partly to check Japanese aggression from Burma. The airport was formerly known as Sylhet Civil Airport but was renamed after General M A G Osmani, Commander in Chief of Independence War of Bangladesh as well as of Muktijuddho in 1971.

The airport was initially served by domestic flights from Shahjalal International Airport by the country's national airline Biman Bangladesh Airlines. After many years of lobbying by expatriates living in the UK, limited expansion of the airport was carried out to enable medium-sized aircraft, such as the Airbus A310 used by Biman, to operate. The work was completed in October 2002 and the airport was designated an international airport by the government. However, the airport was not up to international standards to be capable of fully accommodating international flights due to many shortcomings with the instrument landing system and runway lighting system, and the designation was seen as a move to stave off pressure by the government.

Nevertheless, on 3 November 2002, the airport received its first international arrival. Biman flight BG020 from Kuwait via Abu Dhabi landed at 10:05 with 215 passengers en route to Dhaka.[4] The disembarking passengers on the inaugural flight were greeted by then Finance & Planning Minister, M Saifur Rahman and State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin. For a brief period, Biman also operated a direct service from London but was later re-routed via Dhaka.

Additional expansion of the runway and improvements to the runway lighting and airport facilities were commenced in 2004 to enable wide-bodied aircraft to safely land and takeoff from the airport.[5][6]

The South Asia Transport and Trade Facilitation Conference report of 2006 (by the United States Trade and Development Agency) noted that the development of the airport "up to the standards of [an] international airport" to "encourage private sector participation in air transport" were projects that were under consideration by the government.[7]

Work started in 2006 to upgrade the terminal facilities to enable handling of international flights. The improvements include construction of a new terminal building, two Jetways and a taxi-way.[8] In May 2007, the foreign affairs adviser, informed journalists that the works were on scheduled for completion in June 2007.[9] He also confirmed that Biman will be operating Hajj flights directly from the airport during the Hajj season later in 2007.[10] However, the runway expansion works had not been completed in June with the foreign affairs adviser indicating in August that "minor dressing work" still remained.[11] The work was finally finished in December 2008.[12]

In 2010 the decision was made to construct a refueling station. Construction work began in January 2012. In January 2014 the Project Director Aminul Haq stated that the project was 70% complete.[13]

On 1 April 2015, Flydubai resumed foreign airline service to Sylhet with its flight from Dubai–International. Flydubai's introduction of nonstop flights from Dubai became the first international flights to Sylhet since the airport's "international" designation 18 years prior. The service was operated through a codeshare agreement with Bangladeshi airline Regent Airways. However, because Biman Bangladesh Airlines had refused to provide ground handling services, the route was cancelled the next day.[14][15] Stranded passengers held a demonstration in response on 6 April 2015.[16] On November 2016, Flydubai decided to start its flight again from Sylhet to the Middle East. This flight was ended on 7 September 2018[17]

On 12 November 2020, Biman Bangladesh Airlines started flight between Sylhet to Cox's Bazar, which was in a first, a direct flight between two cities without any connecting flight from Dhaka.[18]

Expansion and development

Currently there are no direct outbound international flights available from the airport for not having sufficient facilities available. Only a few inbound international flights to Dhaka makes a stopover at the airport. This anomaly should be rectified after a 2 years' long upgradation project of Sylhet airport at a cost of BDT ৳492 crore (US$58 million) . This includes strengthening of the runway and taxiway for heavy takeoff weight.[19]

In April 2020, a Chinese company, namely Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG) was appointed to construct a new terminal building including a cargo building, a modern equipped ATC tower, taxiway, apron and aa modern fire station of the airport at a cost of ৳2116 crore (US$250 million) . Post completion of the new terminal building the passenger capacity of the airport will be upgraded to 2 million per annum from the current capacity of 6 lakh per annum.There will be six boarding bridges and thirty six check in counters in the new terminal building.[20][21]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger
AirlinesDestinationsRefs.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines Cox's Bazar,[18] Dhaka, London–Heathrow,[22] Manchester[23] [24]
NovoairDhaka [25]
US-Bangla AirlinesDhaka, Muscat[26] [27]
  • Biman Bangladesh Airlines operates some domestic services between Sylhet and Dhaka which arrive from international destinations such as Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, Manchester, Muscat and London–Heathrow thus providing a direct inbound only service to Sylhet from those cities. Outbound from Sylhet to those cities involve a domestic flight to Dhaka and continuing on using an international one. However, Biman's only direct international flight to Dubai–International from Sylhet was also suspended on 25 October 2019, due to the renovation work at the airport, only one and a half years after it started operation.[28]
  • On 17 November, 2020, US-Bangla Airlines started operating flight to Muscat, becoming first Bangladeshi private airlines to operate international flights from Sylhet.[26]

Cargo
AirlinesDestinationsRefs.
SkyAir Dhaka, Cox's Bazar [29]

Accidents and incidents
  • On 22 December 1997, Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-609 carrying 85 passengers and 4 crew, operated by a Fokker F28-4000, crashed onto a paddy field 5.6 kilometres from the foot of the runway in heavy fog, on final approach from Dhaka. 17 passengers were injured.[30]
  • On 8 October 2004, Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-601 carrying 79 passengers and 4 crew, operated by a Fokker F28-4000, inbound from Dhaka overran the wet runway and ended up in a ditch. Two passengers were injured.[31]

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

Citations
  1. "Bangladesh Air Traffic Movement: Passenger: Aerodrome: Osmani". Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  2. "Aerodrome Information: Osmani Airport, Sylhet". Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  3. "Sylhet Osmani airport a nightmare for passengers". The Daily Star. 13 July 2003. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  4. "Biman launches Kuwait-Sylhet flight". Aviatour. The Weekly Holiday. 22 November 2002. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005.
  5. "Development of Osmani International Airport". Central Procurement Technical Unit. April 2005. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
  6. "Upgraded Osmani International Airport opens up for traffic". South Asia Logistics. 13 March 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
  7. "2006 South Asia Transport and Trade Facilitation Conference Briefing Book" (PDF). US Trade and Development Agency. 11 October 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2007.
  8. "Osmani Airport expansion work begins in July". The Daily Star. 13 May 2004.
  9. "Construction work of Osmani International Airport contract". Central Procurement Technical Unit. April 2006. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
  10. "Runway expansion at Osmani Airport nearing completion". New Age. United News of Bangladesh (UNB). 12 May 2007. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
  11. "ZIA soon to get upgraded runway". The Bangladesh Monitor. 1 August 2007. Archived from the original on 12 December 2007. Retrieved 3 August 2007.
  12. "Operation of wide-bodied planes starts in Sylhet today". New Age. 15 December 2008. Archived from the original on 11 July 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  13. "International flights soon from Sylhet Osmani Airport". Dhaka Tribune. 27 January 2014.
  14. Nahar Kamrun (4 May 2015). "Confusion crops up over granting of permission". The Financial Express. Dhaka. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  15. "Foreign carriers yet to start regular direct flights to Sylhet". The Financial Express. Dhaka. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  16. "Flight Cancellation at Sylhet Airport: Passengers hold demo". New Age. 7 April 2015. Archived from the original on 21 May 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  17. "Flydubai closes Sylhet booking", Routesonnline
  18. "Biman to launch Sylhet-Cox's Bazar flight from Nov 12". Dhaka Tribune. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  19. "Govt to upgrade Sylhet airport at a cost of Tk 492cr". The Daily Star. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  20. "ওসমানী বিমানবন্দর নতুন টার্মিনাল নির্মাণ হবে ২১১৬ কোটি টাকায়". প্রথম আলো (in Bengali). 19 April 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  21. "Deal signed for constructing new terminal building at Sylhet airport". The Financial Express. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  22. Liu, Jim. "Biman Bangladesh Airlines S20 London routing changes as of 18DEC19". Routesonline. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  23. Liu, Jim. "Biman Bangladesh Airlines S20 Manchester service changes as of 11DEC19". Routesonline. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  24. "Flight Schedule -Biman Bangladesh". www.biman-airlines.com. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  25. https://www.flynovoair.com/index.php/travelinfo/flight_schedules
  26. "US-Bangla Airlines makes maiden flight on Sylhet-Muscat route". The Daily Star. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  27. "International Schedule". US-Bangla Airlines. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  28. Md. Serajul Islam (28 October 2019). "Direct flight from Sylhet to London to resume in 2020". Dhaka Tribune.
  29. "Sky Capital Cargo destinations". Skycapitalcargo.com.
  30. "ASN Aircraft accident Fokker F-28 Fellowship 4000 S2-ACJ Sylhet Civil Airport (ZYL)". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  31. "ASN Aircraft accident Fokker F-28 Fellowship 4000 S2-ACJ Sylhet Civil Airport (ZYL)". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
Bibliography

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